Why Do Cars Do This?? The Little Things That Irritate CR Experts

On this week's episode, the Consumer Reports auto team shares its biggest pet peeves about modern cars—from giant touchscreens, distracting alerts, and complicated door handles to cramped back seats, fake interior materials, missing Apple CarPlay, and sky-high prices. What frustrates you most about new cars?

 

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SHOW NOTES

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00:00 - Intro

01:02 Unusable Armrests

01:23 Why New Nissans Smell Like Mice

02:04 Poor Build Quality

02:25 The Fake Third-Row Center Seat

02:53 Self-Driving Tech Can't Handle Bad Weather

03:44 Where Did the Backseat Legroom Go?

04:06 Stop Reinventing Door Handles

04:43 Nowhere to Put Your Stuff

05:00 Square Steering Wheels & Bad Controls

06:12 Too Many Screens, Beeps & Ambient Lights

08:16 Why New Cars Are So Expensive

09:04 Pickup Trucks Became Fashion Accessories

10:16 Screens Replacing Simple Controls

11:03 Auto Hold Should Be Standard

11:56 Every Car Needs Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

14:25 The Problem With Electronic Door Handles

16:12 Why Cars Don't Need More Phone Connections

17:13 Abrupt Throttles & the "Subie Surge"

18:29 Bring Back Physical Buttons

19:28 Ventilated Seats Are Essential

20:08 Driver-Monitoring Systems That Distract You

20:57 Lazy Interior Screen Design

21:53 New Cars That Aren't Better Than the Old Ones

22:14 Windshield Haze From Interior Off-Gassing

22:48 Pop-Out Door Handles Need To Go

23:06 Dashboard Reflections in the Windshield

24:08 Missing Manual Transmissions

24:53 Square Steering Wheels for No Reason

25:13 Fake Metal and Fake Luxury Materials

26:13 Bring Back Oldsmobile

 

 

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Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT

 

Popular Small SUVs to Avoid and What to Buy Instead

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/suvs/popular-small-suvs-to-avoid-and-what-to-buy-instead-a1273704153/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT

 

10 Most Reliable Cars

https://www.consumerrep